Khartoum – Sudan Now

A new report by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) has highlighted the growing phenomenon of enforced disappearances in Sudan, warning that it has become one of the most complex human rights violations associated with the country’s ongoing conflict, with consequences extending beyond victims to their families and communities.

The report, titled “Enforced Disappearances in Sudan: Identity-Based Targeting and Extended Violence Against Families and Communities,” analyzes patterns of enforced disappearance between April 2023 and December 2025 based on documented data, testimonies from victims’ families and survivors, and information collected from multiple human rights sources.

According to the report, 24,493 reports related to enforced disappearance cases involving 7,767 victims were recorded during the study period. Researchers cautioned that the actual number may be significantly higher due to challenges in documentation, restricted access to conflict-affected areas, and prolonged communication blackouts.

The report argues that enforced disappearances in Sudan cannot be viewed solely as a by product of military operations. Rather, it describes the practice as emerging within broader political, security and social contexts in which factors such as identity, ethnicity, geographic origin and security control intersect with the dynamics of war.

The conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has generated widespread reports of arbitrary detention, displacement and other alleged abuses, while humanitarian and human rights organizations have repeatedly warned about the shrinking space for civilian protection.

The study found that most documented victims were civilians, underscoring the extent to which the conflict has affected people not directly involved in hostilities. It also noted that some patterns of targeting appeared to be linked to identity markers or regional affiliations, particularly in areas that experienced shifts in military control or heightened communal tensions.

According to the report, many cases began with arrests or detentions at checkpoints, during security operations or house raids, after which individuals were transferred to unknown or unofficial locations without their families being informed of their whereabouts or allowed to communicate with them.

The findings indicate that the fate of missing persons varies from case to case. Some detainees were eventually released, while others reportedly died in custody or remain missing without verified information about their whereabouts. The report notes that ongoing conflict and limited access to detention sites continue to complicate verification efforts.

Beyond the direct impact on victims, the report highlights the severe humanitarian consequences for families, who often face prolonged psychological, economic and social hardship due to uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones, loss of income and limited access to justice.

Researchers described the uncertainty endured by families as one of the most painful aspects of enforced disappearance, leaving relatives trapped between hope and fear for years without reliable information or definitive answers.

The report also notes that enforced disappearances have not been limited to active battlefields but have been documented in urban areas, transit routes, detention facilities and checkpoint zones, suggesting that the phenomenon has expanded beyond traditional conflict settings.

Human rights groups and families of missing persons have increasingly called for greater transparency regarding the fate of detainees and missing civilians as the conflict continues to affect large parts of the country.

The study warns that the inability to verify the fate of missing persons poses an additional challenge for families and rights organizations, particularly amid mass displacement and the disruption of many state and judicial institutions.

According to the report’s authors, the continuation of enforced disappearances without independent investigations and effective accountability mechanisms risks deepening mistrust between communities and state institutions, while complicating future reconciliation and post-war recovery efforts.

From a legal perspective, the report argues that many documented cases correspond to international definitions of enforced disappearance, particularly where detention is accompanied by denial of information about a person’s fate or refusal to disclose their location, effectively placing them outside legal protection.

The report concludes that addressing the phenomenon requires stronger documentation and independent monitoring mechanisms, more comprehensive databases of missing persons, improved search and tracing systems, and the inclusion of enforced disappearance cases in future transitional justice and peacebuilding arrangements.

The findings come amid growing domestic and international calls to clarify the fate of missing and detained individuals during the war, with rights advocates warning that continued impunity could leave lasting scars on Sudan’s prospects for stability, accountability and national reconciliation.